| dc.description.abstract | This thesis focuses on genealogy and family history. It aims to discover the benefits of a closer relationship between genealogists and historians. This way this research can be regarded as public history, and placed within the academic discussion on the role of historians in amateur history-making. The concepts of shared authority and Michel Foucault’s regimes of truth serve as a theoretical framework. The current construction of science and research excludes genealogical research, as it does not comply with the academic rules and regulations. This research breaks with these rules and focuses on genealogists to create a clear image of their line of work. Through interviews, ten Dutch genealogists have shared their opinions, knowledge and – most importantly – explained how genealogical research is done. Additionally, their work has been analysed to discover their research topics and documentation techniques. The amateur historians are then compared to amateur archaeologists, to see how a cooperation between professionals and amateurs might work. It can be concluded that a better cooperation between genealogists and historians would be beneficial to both groups as it might lead to an exchange of knowledge and skills. However, as genealogical research is first and foremost a hobby, it is important that this is done in such a way that the genealogists still enjoy their research and feel it is their own work. Therefore, a cooperation that is based on sharing authority could be a solution for this issue, as it allows both parties to work on an equal footing, but still ensures that the research is of high quality. | |
